The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade have initiated API integration between the 'Startup India' and 'I-STEM' portals to strengthen access to the National Research Infrastructure.

India has begun a significant shift in its science and technology policies. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) have jointly launched a new technological initiative to further strengthen access to national research infrastructure. Under this initiative, an Application Programming Interface (API) integration has been introduced between the country’s flagship startup portal “Startup India” and the national research institutions portal “I‑STEM”.

The primary aim of this new integration is to reduce the distance between startups, entrepreneurs, and research institutions. Now, startups can directly access the latest research findings, patents, technologies, and expert knowledge available on the I‑STEM portal without any complex procedures. This will accelerate and simplify the technology transfer process, thereby reducing the time and cost involved in turning new ideas into commercial products.

According to the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, this step aligns with India’s “Namaste Startup” mission, which aims to make the country a global technology powerhouse. The I‑STEM portal hosts research results from the country’s leading research institutions, such as IITs, NITs, and other government universities. In recent years, these institutions have faced challenges in applying their research to the market because startups had limited means to access these technologies. The new API integration has removed this obstacle.

Officials from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said that this integration is a crucial step toward Digital India. It will help startups fill the gap in the scientific foundation needed to improve their products. It also provides a new pathway for researchers, allowing them to bring their research directly to industry and explore its practical utility.

Experts believe that this initiative will further strengthen India’s startup ecosystem. Technology‑based startups, such as those working in AI, biotech, and advanced materials, will find this a great relief. They can now meet their research and development (R&D) needs through “Startup India”, which is expected to create new sources of employment in the country’s economy.

This joint effort by the government demonstrates the creation of a robust network of collaboration between science, technology, and entrepreneurship. In the future, this integration could be further developed and linked to other digital services, enabling Indian startups to compete globally. Thus, the technical bridge between “Startup India” and “I‑STEM” symbolizes the vision of smart governance and digital development for the country.